“It’s astounding Apple let things get this far.
saysapp developer David Heinemeier Hansson on Twitter.
Some services chose not to offer subscriptions via the App Store.
Árpád Czapp / Unsplash
Others opted to offer them but added on an extra ~30% to cover Apples cut.
Arpad Czapp / Unsplash
Thats not really a problem for Netflix because everyone knows you might just visit Netflix.com.
But for lesser-known apps, it makes it impossible to sell a subscription without Apple taking almost a third.
Drew Coffman / Unsplash
Thanks to the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) investigation,Apple has now dropped this rule.
From “early 2022,” apps will be allowed to link users to their sites.
But Apple is also disingenuous in its App Store claims.
Andy Wang / Unsplash
People already feel fine giving their credit card numbers to companies other than Apple.
We buy physical goods online all the time.
Apple is not, despite what it likes to say, the only safe store on the internet.
However, there are some big advantages to using the App Store, especially for subscriptions.
Drew Coffman / Unsplash
Reader Apps?
Regular subscriptions which unlock features, or just pay for the app itself, are not covered here.
Easy Out
The very best part of iOS and Mac subscriptions is the ease of canceling them.
Subscriptions purchased through the App Store are also subject to parental controls.
